Backing Up Documents in the Cloud

Backing Up Documents in the Cloud

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Excerpts:







"SERVICES



The various cloud backup services are taking different approaches to online storage. Some companies, like Mozy, offer users proprietary client software that monitors files or folders stored anywhere on the user's computer and automatically backs the items up whenever they change.



Dropbox, on the other hand, requires users to place files and/or folders into a special computer-based folder that automatically syncs into the cloud. If anything happens to the user's computer and its files, the data located in the Dropbox folder can be retrieved simply by reconnecting to the service. Dropbox can also be used to sync files on multiple devices, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets.



One of the biggest benefits is the anywhere, anytime access. "This is especially important for lawyers who work around the clock and need access to their information at any hour," says Courtney Kaufman, a manager at Accent Computer Solutions, an IT services provider located in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. "Whether you're at your desk, on your laptop, smartphone, or tablet, you have access to the same information and you'll be fully working."



SugarSync, meanwhile, offers a kind of hybrid service that offers both automatic syncing across multiple user devices as well as client software that watches over files and folders located anywhere on the user's computer.



Yet another cloud backup alternative is Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), which, despite its name, isn't particularly simple to use. To backup data with Amazon S3, users need to open an account and create a "bucket" (which is how S3 describes a storage folder). Next, the user has to find S3-compatible backup software and supply it with the unique public and private keys required to use the service. For most lawyers, Amazon S3's complexity negates any possible financial benefit.



COST



Cloud storage is generally more expensive on a per-gigabyte basis than physical media backup technologies such as portable drives, DVDs, and memory sticks and cards. Dropbox.com, for instance, charges $200 a year for 100GB of online storage. Mozy.com is cheaper, offering 125GB of storage for approximately $120 per year. In both cases, the costs for a specific amount of storage is ongoing, unlike physical media, which is purchased once and is likely to last for many years."